Author Showcase - Jean Maxwell

Happy Friday Erotic Romance Fans! I hope you've got your bolero jackets ironed and pressed today as we welcome the supremely talented, Jean Maxwell, to my blog. Jean's got another steamy edition of her Spanish Seduction series. This one's titled El Precio - The Price of Passion and it will definitely make you feel hot and bothered.


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Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, Jean. Can you tell us a little bit more about your current release?  What inspired you to expand your previous novel, El Matador, into the Spanish Seduction series?

 

Thanks Annalynne, delighted to be here!  El Mirador begins and ends with a Prologue-Epilogue scene, both of which occur in the past. As I wordsmithed these parts it became evident that Zara's father, the main character in these scenes, was way too colorful a guy to be captured in those few paragraphs, and knew I would have to tell his story eventually! And as with every good love story, you always want to know what happens to the hero and heroine next.

 

Do you do anything special to get into the zone of writing?

 

I find writing is a lot like exercising. You just start doing it, and at first you're kind of stiff but as you limber up everything starts to flow!

 

What genre/genres are your favorite, and why?

 

Well, romance of course! But science fiction is a close second, and since hooking up with Evernight Publishing, I've discovered genres I didn't know even existed! Such a sheltered life I've lived, tsk!

 

Can you describe the process you go through when starting a new story?

 

Hmmm, now you've made me think. While I'm big on 'processes' in real life, when it comes to writing I realize I may have more of a routine than a process. Generally I start with a title...great ones seem to pop up all the time and I try to write them down along with bullet-point notes for the main ideas in each. These become the 'novel notes' that I refer to as I go along. I stay away from self-editing anything until I get the whole story in place, because if I did it would never get finished. Having said that, I've found that writing first-draft stuff in longhand allows me a chance to review and improve on it when I get to my computer.

 

Tell us what books you have on your own personal To Be Read list?

 
 

Oy, I hate to admit it but I can't stop myself from finishing the Fifty-You-Know-What trilogy...I've got a ways to go yet. That, books 2 and 3 of Hunger Games, and then my copy of Shatner Rules.

 

 As you know, many of our readers are also writers themselves. What is the most important marketing tip you would share with a newbie?

 

 A book publicist told me to always have a budget figure established for marketing any project. The number doesn't matter, just set one, because there are always costs involved even for e-publishing. Secondly, be aware that even if you have a publisher and an agent, you will have to do a ton of self-promotion. So be creative, cast your net as wide as possible and join a variety of networks.

 

What can your fans expect to see from you in the near future?

 

I have fans? Yay! :) Well for starters, they can look forward to The Last Hallow's Eve, my short story coming out in October's Just Vamps anthology. I'm excited to see all the other entries in that compilation myself. There will be a Spanish Seduction 3, and a WIP that's coming along nicely about a hard-working, sexy warlock.

 

 

Excerpt:

“Welcome back, Lightning Girl,” he said with a dimpled smile, his voice low and raw with emotion. He took her hands in his. She thought her knees might give out as she recognized the undisguised need in his gaze. She swallowed hard and clasped his hands to her chest.

“Hey, Thunder Boy,” she said, embarrassed at the squeaky, Debra Winger-ish voice ensuing from her lips.

“May I escort you to your office?” he asked, casting a sidelong glance at the small crowd surrounding Mrs. Flynn.

Zara nodded weakly, feeling incapable of uttering another word. Dave’s arm slipped around her shoulders and guided her away from the action and down the long hall.

At last, they reached the cool solitude of the CEO’s office, Dave closing the door behind them. They didn’t get much farther. He spun her around and braced her against the heavy oak paneling, trapping her between him and the door.

“My God, I missed you,” he said, his mouth seeking hers insistently. She barely heard his words above the pounding of her own heart. Her lips trembled as they met his in a searing, all-consuming kiss. If he’d not been holding her so tight, she’d have melted to the floor in a pool of desire. She pulled her hands free and dove them into his tousled locks, dragging her fingers through the soft, collar-length waves of light brown hair.

When they broke their kiss, neither of them breathed lightly. A kiss wasn’t nearly enough to quell the urges seething within. Dave leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.

“This is completely unprofessional and inappropriate,” he whispered.

“I agree,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “What on earth were you thinking, Mr. Parker?”

“Ha.” He smiled his signature half-smile as he continued to hyperventilate. “I was thinking, a demonstration might make things more clear, Miss Flynn.” He swallowed and brought his respiration rate down to a manageable level. “With your permission?”

“By all means, you have my complete attention, sir.”

He pushed away from the door, pulling her with him. He dragged one of the hard-backed visitor chairs over and jammed it up against the doorknob. Walking backwards, he towed her across the room to the oversized drafting table between two massive bookcases. He lifted her to sit on the vinyl-topped surface, wedging his body between her knees. His hands framed her face while he kissed her, hard.

Without conscious thought, Zara’s fingers went to his belt, flipping the buckle open and sliding it through the jean loops and onto the floor. She undid the metal button and worked the zipper down in a few tugs. He caught up strands of her hair and massaged them against her cheeks as he deepened his kiss, letting her continue undressing him. She separated the buttons on his soft denim shirt, slipping her hands inside to stroke his muscled chest. Her fingertips found his taut nipples and lingered there, tickling and touching.

He wrenched the rest of the shirt off then set to work on the front buttons of her sweater, stripping her down to her lacy black bra. His mouth moved to her chest, licking and kissing the mounds of her breasts as he pushed up the hem of her skirt.

With her hormones raging, Zara felt like she might leave a puddle on the tabletop if she didn’t get his dick inside her in the next ten seconds. She grasped at the waistband of his jeans and pushed them down past his hips, releasing his swollen member from its bounds. He pulled her roughly to the edge of the table, lifting her enough to free her skirt from around her bum. Her thin panties were no match for Dave’s insistent fingers. Not much material to them in any case, they shredded easily in his hands. He slung one arm under her knee and lifted it to his ribs, creating enough clearance to plunge his throbbing penis into her.

Zara sucked in air at the sudden, aggressive entry, surprised at how much the rough play excited her. Her arms went tight around his back, her fingernails digging into his skin, clinging to him like a cat on a scratching post. She relished the pounding rhythm of his cock driving into her. Holy Mother, was this how it would always be between them if they were apart for more than a few days? God, she hoped so.

She took all of what he had to give her, mindless of the blueprints and mechanical pencils scattering to the floor from the rocking tabletop. Without the benefit of much foreplay, Zara still felt the rising tide of orgasm flow toward her center as she matched his thrusts.

It usually didn’t work that way for her, the tender tissues between her legs typically requiring a bit more encouragement and…finesse, but…right now…felt good. Jesus, this was her workplace! At least twenty people stood not five meters outside the door. This is crazy!

A burning flush rose up her chest, her breasts tingling and tightening, while her inner thighs quivered on the threshold of surrender. The very idea of making it on an office desk, and that they might be discovered at any moment, brought an unexpected thrill. This is beyond crazy…this is unconscionable…this is…oh, sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

She tumbled into orgasm, and so did he. As Dave was about to let out a satisfactory moan, Zara covered his mouth in a smothering kiss to prevent any telltale noise from exiting the room. His free hand cupped the back of her head. She listened to the sound of his breathing and the soft grunts trapped in his throat as he buried himself in her kiss.

Their lips parted, and he nuzzled her neck and licked her earlobe before speaking in a painful whisper. “I’m sorry…if I rushed you. Did I hurt you? I never want to hurt you. I can do better.”

She kissed his cheek. “If you were hurting me, I sure as hell like being hurt,” she replied. “And if you did any better, I’d have to fire you. For being so unprofessional. But your, demonstration, was certainly convincing. Remind me to have you make business presentations more often.”

 

 

Buy Links for El Precio - The Price of Passion:

 

Amazon:  http://www.evernightpublishing.com/el-precio-the-price-of-passion-by-jean-maxwell/

 

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/el-precio-the-price-of-passion-by-jean-maxwell/